TV Legend Has Close Call Before Being Pulled From Burning Car

One of the legends of television had a close call Monday when his Jaguar caught fire, but a Samaritan pulled over and helped 87-year-old actor Dick Van Dyke escape the burning car, reports TMZ.com.

Jason Pennington, who rescued the "Mary Poppins" actor, said he was driving along the 101 freeway in Los Angeles when he saw a smoke-filled car on the side of the road, with an elderly man hunched over the steering wheel.

He discovered Van Dyke struggling inside, and then pulled him out as the fire spread. While the actor was disoriented by the fire, he didn’t need medical attention, and his wife picked him up soon afterward, the piece notes.

The car was later completely engulfed in flames. His wife, Arlene Van Dyke, 41, later tweeted that the actor was fine, the New York Daily News reports.

Van Dyke starred on two long-running CBS shows: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in the 1960s and "Diagnosis: Murder" in the 1990s.